literature

Scotland x Reader ~Hard-Luck Tale~

Deviation Actions

GydroZMaa's avatar
By
Published:
12.5K Views

Literature Text

~Hard-Luck Tale~

"…And don't go coming back, ye hear?!"

Allistor coughed out some blood onto the wet pavement. Damn it, he had been beaten so badly that he was sure they had broken at least one of his ribs. He was out of luck now: no money due to his poor habits, no friends because of his ill hot-headed temper, no friends simply because…

"Heh," Allistor let out a short sarcastic laugh as he spat a glob of saliva mixed with blood on the ground. "I had it coming. I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner…" It would have been easier if he just died on the spot…

Suddenly, he heard a soft rustling noise coming from a pile of cardboard boxes and garbage not too far away.

"Woo…"

What's that? he wondered and crawled over to the source of the noise to get a better look.

"A dog…"

A frail, weak dog was curled up under some soggy, rain-drenched cardboard. It looked so thin with its bones showing through its wet fur.

Feeling pity for the vulnerable creature, Allistor slowly made his way over to it and wrapped his trembling hands around it.

"Poor little rascal…" he whispered.

Suddenly, the dog opened its large (e/c) eyes and looked up at Allistor's face with a soft whine. The Scotsman couldn't help but crack a sad smile at such an innocent ball of fur.

"Yer hungry, aren't ye?" he said. "I'm sorry, but I don't have any food or money to buy any. There has to be something…" Then, he let out a sharp cough due to the biting cold air and his injuries spitting out blood that dribbled down his lips. That gave him an idea.

"As a matter of fact, I do have something for ye," he said and held the small dog up to his cut cheek where blood was oozing out and mixing in with the rainwater. Instinctively, the dog brought its tongue out to Allistor cheek and began to lap up his blood.

Allistor chuckled. "This is all I can give you, I'm afraid." When the dog was done, it nuzzled Allistor's cheek searching for warmth. Allistor responded by holding it close to his chest where the last remnants of his warmth were.

So small… he thought as he closed his eyes for what he believed to be his final time. But it's alright, little thing. You won't have to suffer any longer. We both won't…

-----

There was a white light shining above him, so bright that Allistor had to squint to adjust to the intensity.

"Where am I?" he wondered aloud. "There's no way someone like me could have gone to Heaven…So then…where…?"

"Good. Since you're awake, you can tell me your name and your insurance number," a cranky lady in a tight nurse's uniform growled.

"Insurance?" Allistor repeated. "I can't afford something like that."

The nurse's face became beet red like she was going to explode like a ripe tomato. "If you don't have any money or insurance, then get out of here!"

-----

After Allistor was kicked out of the hospital, his hangover from last night began to kick in.

"Shit, if I died last night, then this wouldn't have happened," he groaned rubbing his pounding head that throbbed in three places at once. Well, if he wasn't going to die the slow way, he might as well have done it the fast way. There was a bridge not too far away from this hospital he could go to. It didn't have too many pedestrians, either.

-----

From above the barrier, the water didn't look particularly inviting: it was grimy and green as if someone had taken a massive piss inside the river and puked a thousand times over—a fitting place for filth to die in.

Right before Allistor was going to jump, a voice startled him.

"Watcha doing, mister?"

"Huh?" When Allistor turned around, he saw a bright-eyed cheerful-looking young lady staring intently at him. "I'm jumping. What else does it look like?"

The lady cocked her head to the side and looked down at the river below. She wrinkled her nose. "Do you really want to jump into something that filthy?"

Allistor made a face. Little brat. "Of course I want to. I've got nothing else to live for."

"How?" the lady asked. "You look pretty strong, you're not sick…" Then she got a good look at Allistor's bright red hair and sharp green eyes. "…And your looks aren't half-bad."

That last part made Allistor slightly blush, but the color soon disappeared when he remembered what he was going to do.

"I'm still going to jump," he said. "My luck's run out, and it'd be better if someone like me left this world as soon as possible."

To his surprise, the lady began to giggle. "If you really want to jump that badly, then I'll help you!" And not a second later, she gave Allistor's legs a hard shove sending him falling straight over the bridge.

"You bitch!" he screamed right before he struck the water. By instinct, he began to thrash around trying to get some air. What was going on? He had wanted to die just a few seconds ago, but here he was struggling to keep afloat.

"Help! My boyfriend fell in the water!" a voice cried from above.

Fuck! It's that crazy lass! Allistor shouted inside his head. Suddenly, he saw someone swimming over to him and dragging him to the shoreline. When he was back on dry land, the lady who had pushed him overboard rushed over and gave him a tight hug.

"Ggghh!" he winced. "What the fu—"

"Oh, darling, I'm so glad you're safe," she breathed. "But…your clothes are ruined, and…"

Much to Allistor's surprise, she began to dig her hands inside his clothes patting them down like he was being given an inspection.

Do you have any shame? he thought darkly.

Then, the lady gasped. "Darling! You lost your wallet in the river, didn't you! Oh, this is terrible! How are we going to continue our date now?"

Allistor gave the flustered lady a strange look. "What da—?" But before he could finish, she threw herself over him covering his mouth with her—

"And I was looking so forward to this date!" she wailed. She was doing a good job of keeping her acts up. Then, a new voice spoke up.

"Oh, I can't just let such a sweet couple have their day ruined by something like this," said an old lady in an overly lavish silk dress adorned with several rings with gemstones too large for her finger to balance. She clicked open her purse and began to fiddle around its contents. When her gloved hand came out, she presented Allistor with a large stack of money.

"Here you go," the old woman said with a warm smile. "And if I remember correctly, I believe we have a suit that will fit just right." She turned to the man who had rescued Allistor earlier. He looked like he was a chauffer or something. "Could you be a dear and bring that one box from the tailor's over here? I don't think my nephew will want to wear it, anyway. He has far too many suits. I spoil him so."

"Yes, ma'am," the stiff man replied and went to a nearby limousine to look for the box. When he returned, he presented Allistor, who was still dumbstruck from receiving such a large stack of money, with the suit.

"Oh, thank you so much!" the lady said removing herself from Allistor's face. "Really, you're too kind!"

"Ho ho ho! Don't fuss over it, dear," the old woman chuckled with a hearty voice. "It feels wonderful to help people. I hope you two lovebirds have a wonderful date."

"Oh, we will!" the lady beamed and waved as the woman and her chauffer left to be on their way. When they were out of sight, she turned back to Allistor with a mischievous grin.

"See?" she giggled. "There are still a lot of surprises to live for!"

"You sly lass," Allistor growled, but he stopped himself short at his sudden change of luck. "I guess I should thank ye though. Ye saved me from taking takin' me own life—even if ye almost cost me it."

"Oh no," the lady giggled. "I should be thanking you."

"Me?" Allistor blinked. "Why me?"

Still wearing her sly smile, the girl helped Allistor to his feet and shoved the money in his hands. Then, she locked her arm with his and leaned her head against his shoulder.

"I'm thankful because you're going to take me on a date, darling," she giggled.

"What?!" Allistor cried and tried to pry the lady off him. "I'm not going to take ye on a date! I don't even know you!"

"Yes, you do!" the lady said stubbornly. "Don't you recognize me?"

"I don't, and I don't aim to!" Allistor growled and continued to shove her, but she stubbornly held on.

"I guess I have no choice," the lady frowned and released her grip, but what she did next was completely unexpected.

To Allistor's further shock, she took his hands and placed them over her chest and screamed.

"Help! This man is sexually harassing me! Someone help!"

"You crazy bitch!" Allistor shouted uncomfortably. While he didn't mind getting the opportunity to feel this lady's…"chest," he didn't want to draw any more negative attention towards himself.

"Alright, alright! I'll go on yer stupid date!" he finally consented. "Geez…"

"I knew you would~!" the lady giggled.

Allistor snorted. "At least tell me yer name. I don't want to be hanging around a total stranger."

The lady pouted in an almost childlike manner. "I already told you, we've met before, so we're not strangers. But if you really want to know, I was called ___________."

"What you do mean by was called?" Allistor asked. Just then, ___________ hit him on his chest.

"Ow!" he cried. "Don't do that! I just had my ribs mended!"

"You're not even going to tell me your name?" ___________ frowned.

"It's Allistor. Shit, you've got some guts thinkin' ye can treat people like this."

"And you've got some brains thinking you can stall our date," _________ retorted. She returned her grip onto Allistor's arm and began to jump up and down.

"Come on!" she beamed excitedly. "We've got a date to do!"

"Oh, fuck me…" Allistor groaned.

-----

"It smells bad in here, Allistor…" ___________ mumbled softly as she looked around the bright lights and sniffed the smoky air.

Allistor shrugged and looked for an open table. "Ye weren't specific about where ye wanted to go so I took us to somewhere I wanted." He studied ___________'s appearance and patted her head to get her attention.

"Hmm?" she said.

"How old are ye?" he asked.

"Uh…" _________ hesitated. "I guess by your standards, I'd be in my early twenties…"

By my standards? Allistor thought. What's this lass playing at?

"Ah, early twenties is good enough," he decided. "I'm around there, too. Now we can both play."

"Play?" __________ smiled. "We finally get to play something?"

The fuck is this lass' problem? She said she was in her early twenties, didn't she? Allistor wondered, but he put on his best smile and patted her head again. Se seemed to like that.

"Aye, we're going to play. I'm guessing you've never been in these kinds of places before, have ye?"

"No," ___________replied shaking her head.

"Well, we've got plenty of money to spend, so there's nothing to worry about," Allistor grinned and took __________ over to the machines.

"What's this?" ___________ wondered and looked curiously at the pictures printed on the individual slot wheels.

"Ye just pull this lever an' try to match the pictures," Allistor explained. He pulled out a coin he had gotten through an exchange and placed it into the slot machine for her. "Try it. Ye don't have to do anything else."

Curiously, __________ placed a cautious hand on the lever and pulled down. Allistor watched intently as a "7" fell into place.

How about that? he thought amused.

Another "7." Allistor's heart began to race.

Shit, he thought.  If we get one more then maybe…

Ding ding ding ding ding!

"Holy shit, _________! Ye won the jackpot!" Allistor cried excitedly and threw himself over her as coins started pouring out.

"And…that's a good thing?" __________ asked unsure of what to make of all of this.

"Of course it's a good thing!" Allistor laughed. "It's better than good! It's great!"

"So you're happy?" __________ asked with a doubtful expression.

"Of course I'm happy!" Allistor laughed and patted the lucky lady's head. "We won a lot of money!"

"Oh!" A smile spread across __________ face. "Then I'm happy!"

"That you are, ___________," Allistor grinned.

After collecting their winnings, Allistor took ___________ over to many different areas including one with cards and some with chips. There were also machines with colorful wheels and others with metal balls that rolled over and over. Every time they went to another one, they would win over and over again making Allistor happier and happier. And if Allistor was happy, ____________ was happy. He seemed to be having fun, after all.

Now, Allistor had brought ____________ to a new kind of game with little white cubes with black spots on the edges. It was a very strange game to say the least.

"What is this?" ____________ asked.

"It's called craps," Allistor explained. "Ye just have to take these two di and try to get a seven. Can ye do that?"

"Why don't you try it, Allistor?" _________ asked. "I want you to have fun, too."

"Ah, well…" Allistor hesitated. "I'm not really lucky."

"Oh?" ___________ tilted her head to the side. "Then how about this?" She placed the di in Allistor's hand, wrapped his fingers around them, and gave his hand a kiss.

"__-_________?" Allistor stammered.

"It's for luck~" ___________ giggled. "It doesn't matter if you lose or not. The point is to have fun, right?"

"Aye…Fun…" Allistor chuckled and patted her head. "Alright then. Here's to lady luck." With a deep breath, he took the di in his hands and threw them across the playing table, the di bouncing against the edge and coming back with the final digits face-up.

-----

"This is really your house?!" __________ squealed excitedly as she leapt onto the king-sized bed and began to roll around the top covers.

"It is now, thanks to you, __________," Allistor chuckled and sat down next to her. "I can't thank ye enough. I really can't."

"Are you happy?" _________ asked gazing at him with her striking (e/c) eyes.

"Aye," the redhead smiled. "I've never felt this way in my entire life."

"Really? You should feel like this all of the time."

"Nah, not with the way things have been going," Allistor frowned. "Before I met you, it was really bad, believe me. I lost everything: my family, my friends, my money, my will to live." He turned over to get a good look at __________ who was listening intently to every word he was saying. "But because of you, I've been able to get back on my feet again. There's no way I ever have to worry again. Not with you around."

"Then…I get to stay?" __________ asked excitedly.

Allistor chuckled at how innocent ___________ could be at such a blooming age. "Of course ye can stay. In fact, ye can stay forever."

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" __________ squealed and threw herself over him and began to kiss him on his face over and over again.

"Pfft!" Allistor chuckled. "Cut it out, ____________! That tickles!"

After he was able to get ___________ to stop, she let out a long, wide yawn.

"Allistor, I'm tired," ___________ said curling up into a small ball atop the covers.

"It's been a long day, after all," Allistor smiled. "It'd only make sense. Do you want to sleep with me?"

__________ shot up and began to kiss him again. "I'd love to! I really, really, really want to! Can I really?"

"Of course ye can, _____________," the amused redhead smiled. "I'm going to wash up, and then I'll come back, alright? Do you want to take a bath, too?"

Upon hearing this, __________ began to shake her head feverishly. "No," she answered. "I don't like taking baths. I hate them. I'm just going to stay here."

Allistor shrugged. "Suit yourself. You can make yourself comfortable, then."

"Okay!" ___________ smiled and curled back up into a ball.

When Allistor had finished taking a shower and was about to get ready to go to sleep, he noticed how ____________ had refused to get under the covers with him.

"It's alright if ye don't want to do that, but what if ye catch a cold sleeping without anything to cover you?"

"I'll be okay," ____________ said dismissively and nudged a little closer to Allistor's chest. "As long as I know you're still here, I can sleep just fine."

"If you say so," Allistor chuckled softly with an amused look. Before shutting his eyes, something caught his eye. He sat up and took the shiny heart-shaped necklace that was around __________'s neck in his hand.

"What's this?" he asked. When he flipped it around, he saw that it had the word, "_____________" printed on it.

"It's my name, silly," ___________ giggled. She looked exhausted so she made herself comfortable again.

Allistor smiled and flopped back down on his pillow. "Just curious. G'night, then, ___________."

____________ let out a long yawn before closing her eyes. "Goodnight, Allistor."

-----

Allistor and ___________ continued to make more money whenever they gambled oblivious to the amount of attention they were drawing to themselves. It wasn't until one unfortunate day when Allistor had gone to cash in his winnings when ___________ had suddenly disappeared from sight.

"___________?" Allistor called out into the casino. He frantically searched every room, table, and slot in the casino, but she was nowhere to be found. Desperate to fine her, he called on a search to look for her, describing her appearance to a profiler. When he finished describing her, the profiler asked him to see if his sketch was accurate.

"Is this correct?" he asked flipping the sketchpad around.

"Yes," Allistor answered. "It looks just like her."

"And you said her name was ___________?" the profiler asked for clarification.

"That's right."

"Okay, we'll see what we can do with this, and we'll hopefully get back to you in three days," the profiler said.

"In three days, she could be completely gone!" Allistor protested. It wasn't only because ____________ was like his lady luck, but she had also grown on him. She didn't know how to do very much other than think optimistically, but she was the part of him he had lost somewhere along the way, his light in his despairing storm of misfortune. He needed her.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kirkland, but that's the best we can do right now," the profiler said and excused himself.

Since the searchers were already doing everything that they could even with the amount of money Allistor had offered them, he decided to take the situation into his own hands and look for __________ himself.

Then, one day, he got a mysterious call that had no caller I.D. traced to it.

"If you want your precious bitch, come by the fourth warehouse by the docks with all the money you have at three a.m. sharp. And come alone," a gruff voice spoke through the phone. Then, the phone hung up before Allistor could even answer.

Allistor knew he would be taking a risk by going by himself, but he couldn't risk the thought of ___________ getting killed if he didn't abide by the rules. With nothing but a briefcase full of his earnings he had won through ___________, he headed over to the warehouse in the dark of the night.

When he entered the warehouse, he nearly jolted when a pair of guns pointed themselves at his face. Instinctively, he held his hands up in the air after placing the briefcase on the ground. He had been in situations like this before, but this time, it was completely personal.

"Well, well, well," a snarky voice said from the shadows. "You actually decided to show your face around here. Check the case, boys." One of the henchmen took the briefcase and opened it up. Then, he brought out one of the bills and examined it with a scanner known for detecting counterfeits.

"It's the real thing, boss," he said.

"Good," the boss said with an evil smile. "And as promised, you can have your little bitch back."

Anger bubbled up within Allistor's chest when he heard what that man had called his precious ___________. How dare he call her something so low and filthy. Well, there was a time he had called her that, too, but it was in the spur of the moment.

After the man took the money away, they brought out a small box that appeared to be an animal cage.

Allistor blinked. What the fuck is this?

"I don't know how you did it, but yer lucky charm doesn't work on us," the boss said. "It wasn't even a rare breed. Just some run-of-the-mill kind. And one more thing: after ye leave this place, you are to forget this exchange ever took place, understand? Or else there'll be consequences."

"I got it," Allistor replied and took the animal cage. This wasn't __________. Where was ___________? Was this some sort of sick joke? He still had questions, but he didn't want to risk getting involved with these people any longer. It was only going to be one day before the investigators were done with their search for anyone that matched ____________ profile, so there was nothing he could really do but suck it up and take the animal cage with him.

After he had left the warehouse, he took the moment to peek inside the cage.

A dog…

But it wasn't just any ordinary dog—it was the one he had seen the night before he woke up in the hospital. Not only that, but it had something around its neck.

His heart racing, and his hands trembling, Allistor opened up the cage and took the dog out so he could examine the collar that was around her neck.

"_____________," it read.

"______________?" Allistor managed to say despite his creaking voice.

Recognizing her name, the dog let out a small yelp and leaned forward to lick his face. In response, Allistor patted _____________'s head; she had always liked to be petted on her head.

A bemused smile spread across Allistor's face. "I don't know what the fuck is going on, but I guess I really have you back, don't I, ____________?"

Again, __________ barked excitedly, her (e/c) shining with a bright gleam.

-----

"We found the person you were searching for," the profiler said when Allistor had arrived to meet up with him. Since ____________ had refused to leave his side, he had to bring her with him.

"You did?" Allistor asked confused. Then, he looked down at ____________ who was sitting faithfully beside him. But she's right here…

After a moment, a new figure walked in; she matched the profile to a T.

Confused, Allistor stood straight up and looked at the lady who was standing in front of him. Then, he looked at _____________ who was looking at the lady with a familiar gaze.

"Hold on!" he cried. "What the fuck is going on?!"

"Isn't this the person you were looking for, Mr. Kirkland?" the profiler asked. "She's __________ _____________. You asked us to look for her."

"Aye, but she…this dog…" Allistor babbled.

An amused smile escaped _____________'s lips. "My parents were the ones who named my dog after me. It just stuck. I'm sorry if it's a bit confusing."

"Wait…" Allistor was slowly starting to piece everything together. He pointed at the dog—whom he guessed was named _____________—and stared back at _____________, the lady. "This is your dog?"

"That's right," _____________ nodded. "I lost her a few days ago. I remember you, too. You were the one who was with my dog the first time I found her. I couldn't just leave you there so I called for a taxi to take you to the hospital."

"Ah…So that's how I got there," Allistor mumbled.

"And then to my unexpected surprise," ___________ continued, "_____________, my dog, ran away again. Imagine my shock when I found out she returned to you. I'm very grateful you've been taking care of her."

"Oh, it's not a problem," Allistor mumbled and stared at ___________, the dog who was probably the one who had been following him ever since he had tried to jump off the bridge.

"Well, if that's all settled, then I wish you all a good day," the profiler said shooing everyone out of the building.

-----

Since __________, the dog, had refused to leave Allistor's side, you, the human, decided to ask the confused redhead about what had happened. When he was done explaining, you were very quiet and equally as confused.

"So you're saying my little pet has brought you quite the good luck," you said with a quizzical expression. "Did she really look just like me?"

"Aye," Allistor nodded. "I'm more confused about how she's been getting around talking to people all of this time."

You bent down and petted your dog on her head. "I guess __________'s just full of surprises, aren't you, ____________?" you giggled.

"She sure is," Allistor agreed and bent down to pet __________, too—except he didn't pet the dog.

"Oh, you're not mistaking me for when ____________ was a human, are you?" you laughed.

Realizing what he was doing, Allistor pulled back and turned around so you wouldn't see him blush.

"I'm sorry about that," he said quickly. "It's just that ___________ liked it when I touched her head as a human. I just…Never mind. My mistake."

"That's perfectly fine," you giggled and stood up. "You know, I should repay you for taking care of _____________ for me. I've never seen her so attached to someone like this before…" Then, you stared into Allistor's deep green eyes for what seemed to be the longest time. From what he had explained to you, his habits and mindset weren't the best match, but his heart was in the right place; aside that, he also had fairly good looks.

"But, you know? I'm glad she picked you," you said with a soft, embarrassed voice. "If you'd like, I could pay you to take care of her for me. She really likes you; I can tell."

"Ye mean it?"

"Of course," you smiled. Then, you thought of some other parts to Allistor's story that didn't fit with the plan. "But, you spent all of your money getting ___________ back for me so I'm guessing you don't have a place to live anymore, right?"

"A-Aye…" Allistor answered sheepishly.

"That's not a problem," you chuckled. "If you want, you could live with me until you get back on your feet."

"You'd really do something like that for me?" Allistor asked bewildered at your offer.

"I trust you," you said with a definite voice. "_________ does, after all. And you're not going to think about killing yourself anymore, are you?"

"No." Allistor shook his head. Then, he patted both yours and your dog's heads. "It seems thanks to ___________, I've got two reasons to live."

"There are more than two reasons to stay alive," you laughed. "_____________ can easily tell you that!"

As if in response ___________ barked excitedly and began to run laps around the two of you.

"_____________! Settle down!" you laughed and bent over to grab her.

"Ah, let me," Allistor offered and bent down, too, but in the process, your hands intertwined as _______________ continued to bark.

Startled, you pulled back and lowered your head. Your face was hot and your expression was flustered, but Allistor was equally as embarrassed.

"Sorry," he apologized.

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry," you said quietly.

Allistor hesitated and loosened his tie. "Hey, if ye don't have anything to do, do ye want to try yer luck at the casino with me?"

You raised your eyebrows in amusement. "Are you trying to see which one of us is the real lucky charm?"

Allistor smiled. "Who knows? Maybe it's both of you."

You chuckled. "Then at least we won't have to worry about competing for attention if that's the case. Alright, I'll go. It can even be like a date."

"Heh, aye, a date," Allistor chuckled catching a mischievous look from ____________ after recalling the events of what had happened those few days ago.

"I hope you're not going to bring any bad luck with you like you did before ____________ was around," you joked.

"Don't worry," Allistor laughed. "I'm feeling pretty lucky tonight."
Is this romance? Uh...Shoot, I don't know...

There are some confusing parts in this story so please read it with an open mind. Also, one of the words in the title can be a homophone (or a heterograph).

From a recent article in March, Scotland was the top fourth region in the UK in gambling rates (I'm guessing most of those are online gamblers, though).

I was inspired by Petshop of Horrors and added a little sprinkle of Puss in Boots in with the mix at the beginning.

Scotland is based on a design by pixiv.net.
Petshop of Horrors belongs to Matsuri Akino.
Puss in Boots was written by Charles Perrault.
This story belongs to me, ~GydroZMaa.
© 2012 - 2024 GydroZMaa
Comments60
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In